The actress is sworn to secrecy on plot details, but says Fisher was an 'original screen icon.'
Laura Dern is sworn to secrecy on plot details surrounding her role in Star Wars: Episode VIII, but she has no issue marveling at the life and legacy of late franchise star Carrie Fisher.
The actress opened up about Fisher to ET’s Nischelle Turner at Elle’s Women in Television event at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles on Saturday, saying the Star Wars series was a part of Fisher “in her heart and her soul.”
“I don’t know any of us who didn’t play Princess Leia for a Halloween, or in our life,” said Dern, who recalled watching the first Star Wars film in 1977 as a young girl at Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome. “What an incredible gift to to witness that whole legacy.”
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Dern joined the Episode VIII cast early last year, and while she couldn’t reveal any character or plot details, she said she’s “having the time of my life” as a franchise newbie.
Fisher wrapped her role on the next Star Wars installment before her death on Dec. 27, which will make it one of her final on-screen appearances. While both actresses grew up as the daughters of Hollywood icons, Dern says Fisher had no problem forging her own path.
“We put a lot of focus currently on what it is to be a female icon, what it is to use your voice, what it is to be comfortable in your own skin,” she reflected. “She has always been one of the most extraordinary beacons, an original screen icon.”
See more about Fisher’s Star Wars legacy in the video below.